BOZEMAN — Few believed in the Cal Poly football team last week.
The Mustangs were 18.5-point underdogs entering Saturday’s game at then-No. 21 ranked Sacramento State. All four of 406 MT Sports’ Big Sky Conference picks panelists predicted Sac State to win by at least two scores.
Cal Poly didn’t just compete, it earned a 32-24 win in Sacramento, California. The Mustangs improved to 3-2 after going 3-8 in each of the last two seasons and haven’t won more than three games in a year since 2018.
Cal Poly’s upset was one of multiple surprising (to some extent) results in the first week of Big Sky play.
Another was Idaho State’s 26-18 win at Northern Colorado. ISU was a 3.5-point favorite, but UNC arguably had a better resume entering its league opener. The Bears, who went 1-22 the previous two seasons combined, opened this year with a 17-3 win over Division II Chadron State, and they were one play away from beating both FBS Colorado State and then-No. 12 (now unranked) South Dakota. Last week, UNC earned an overtime victory at unranked Houston Christian.
ISU competed with a pair of FBS teams (UNLV and New Mexico) but lost at unranked Southern Utah, which hasn’t won any of its other games so far, including to non-scholarship San Diego. A week before facing UNC, ISU notched a 90-0 win over a controversial, perennially uncompetitive program.
The Bengals welcomed back previously injured starting quarterback Jordan Cooke and raced out to a 23-7 halftime lead Saturday in Greeley, Colorado.
Also Saturday, Montana State blew past the 20.5-point spread in its 57-3 win over Eastern Washington. Then-No. 15 Northern Arizona won at winless Portland State, a 20-plus-point underdog, 31-17 in a game that was 24-17 going into the fourth quarter.
Montana’s 41-30 win over Idaho (as a 7.5-point favorite) and UC Davis’ 34-12 victory over Weber State (as a 15.5-point favorite) weren’t shocking margins, but those games were more lopsided for large stretches than the spreads might’ve led some to believe.
Point spreads, which often change based on money being bet, are imperfect predictors at any level of football, much less early in an FCS season. Results like Cal Poly over Sac State might not look surprising by November.
Or the Big Sky might be full of inconsistent teams that will earn impressive wins one week and head-scratching losses the next. In an era of heavy player movement, that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
Week 5 results, standings, upcoming schedule
Week 5 Big Sky scores
• Cal Poly 32, Sacramento State 24
• Montana State 57, Eastern Washington 3
• Montana 41, Idaho 30
• Idaho State 26, Northern Colorado 18
• Northern Arizona 31, Portland State 17
• UC Davis 34, Weber State 12
Big Sky standings (overall, in conference)
T-1. Montana (4-0, 1-0)
T-1. Northern Arizona (4-1, 1-0)
T-1. UC Davis (3-1, 1-0)
T-1. Cal Poly (3-2, 1-0)
T-1. Montana State (3-2, 1-0)
T-1. Idaho State (2-3, 1-0)
T-7. Idaho (2-3, 0-1)
T-7. Northern Colorado (2-3, 0-1)
T-7. Sacramento State (2-3, 0-1)
T-7. Weber State (2-3, 0-1)
T-7. Eastern Washington (1-4, 0-1)
T-7. Portland State (0-5, 0-1)
Week 6 Big Sky schedule (all games Saturday, all times Mountain)
• Montana State at Northern Arizona, 3 p.m.
• Portland State at Eastern Washington, 5 p.m.
• Montana at Idaho State, 6 p.m.
• UC Davis at Cal Poly, 6 p.m.
Griz leapfrog Cats in top 25
Stats Perform FCS Top 25 voters rewarded Montana for its top-10 win over Idaho.
The Grizzlies, who were named the Stats Perform FCS National Team of the Week, moved up one spot to No. 4 in the latest poll, trading places with rival Montana State. Idaho fell four spots to No. 12.
UC Davis rose two places to No. 7, Northern Arizona jumped two spots to No. 13 and Sacramento State dropped from No. 21 to out of the rankings while still receiving some votes.
Players of the week
UC Davis quarterback Caden Pinnick was named the Big Sky offensive player of the week, Cal Poly defensive back Brian Dukes received the defensive honor and Idaho State kicker Trajan Sinatra earned the special teams award, the league announced Monday.
Pinnick completed 16 of 27 (59.3%) passes for 288 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions while rushing for 48 yards and a TD on 11 carries in the Aggies’ win over Weber State.
Dukes intercepted two passes — returning one for a touchdown — and tallied three tackles (two solo) in the Mustangs’ win at Sacramento State.
Sinatra made both point-after attempts and all four field goals (from 26, 27, 49 and 48 yards) in the Bengals’ win at Northern Colorado.
Victor Flores is the Montana State Bobcats beat writer for 406 MT Sports. Email him at victor.flores@406mtsports.com and follow him on Twitter/X at @VictorFlores406
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